To be at peace in a turbulent world

How can one find peace in a turbulent world whose structures fall apart a bit more every day? Is it possible and is it even decent? In my view, inner peace is not a selfish privilege to be enjoyed at someone else’s expense, but a state of being which we choose and nurture and which radiates around and is communicated. Finding inner peace is the first inevitable step of any process, as it is clear that nothing stable can be built on the rocky foundations of revolution. It is simply impossible to build even the smallest structure on an erupting volcano.

Fighting for peace is deeply contradictory, as any reactionary behaviour only feeds the ambient unrest. The history of humanity proves this very clearly: to argue against other opinions, to impose one’s morals and feed the polemic leads to anything but durable peace. Any peace which is enforced by law or by force is like a fire smouldering under the ashes, waiting for the slightest ember to burst into flame again. Experience has shown that the only peace which we can cultivate is our own inner peace.

Wanting to “save the world” at all costs is the worst possible option, as it only contributes to fanning the flames. It is equivalent to blowing on a fire to put it out. The more a nation takes action to fight against what it sees as unjust, the more it enters into war. It is therefore vital to keep one’s distance in order to remain as detached as possible from the warlike folly which leads humanity down the path of its own destruction. This attitude has nothing to do with indifference or insensitivity. Distance and detachment in the face of conflict result in depriving the fire of oxygen, thus allowing peace to settle in durably. To obstinately try to pacify a society which is falling apart is the most efficient way to hasten its fall and to be pulled down along with it.

Inner peace is the emergence of our deeper nature. It can therefore not be nurtured by action, but by going inward. It is for each individual to find his or her personal recipe. Contact with nature and meditation are without a doubt the most efficient tools for this, as they detoxify our minds while they reconnect us to the essence of our being. We are all free to torture ourselves and feed the flames, but we can also choose to create peace in our deepest self, right here, right now. Our inner state is not the passive reflection of what surrounds us, but a purely personal choice. All obstacles which we believe we encounter are only excuses. Only our false beliefs prevent us from achieving our quest for inner peace.

To be at peace does not cut us off from the world or from others, but allows us to observe with our hearts and without judgement.

To be at peace is to be conscious in each moment that a better world can only be born of the expression of what we hold within.

To be at peace is to be detached from all outcome and all forms of power which aims to impose its own truth.

To be at peace is to be able to die at any moment without regrets at without hate.